Looking back – are you where you wanted to be?

The end of the year is quickly approaching, whether we like it or not. However, this is a great opportunity to look back at the past year, analyze what we’ve done, recognize what we’ve accomplished, learn from our mistakes, and figure out where we want to go and what we want to achieve next year.

A few days ago, I sat down and created some reports that helped me see exactly what I got done, how successful I was at it, and where I needed improvement.

Having the numbers right there in front of me really solidifies my goals and gives me a boost in motivation and momentum.

So now it’s time to ask yourself some questions.

Are you where you wanted to be by this time?

Did you set some goals? Have you met them? Have you made some positives steps to reach them if you haven’t obtained them already?

Does your website get more traffic now than it did at the beginning of the year? Do you have more readers and subscribers? Are you getting more sales?

Use what you’ve learned in the past year to drive you to move forward and grow even more. If 2008 was a great year, make sure 2009 is even better. If this past year sucked, make sure next year doesn’t.

Have a business plan. Even if you have one blog, you should still have a plan for it. How will you know where you want to go if you don’t have a way to get there?

Set some goals. Set smaller goals that you can reach and reward yourself once in awhile. But also set some big goals that you can work towards. Goals can change, but they should be challenging as well.

Have a way to measure your successes and losses. If you don’t document everything you do online, at least document the big stuff. If you keep at it long enough, you’ll quickly learn what works and what doesn’t.

If you’re happy where you are, then keep doing what you’re doing. If there’s room to grow, then figure out what you need to do to get there. If you’re not happy, ask yourself all the questions I listed above to figure out what you can do to change that.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure it’s a positive step forward. In years past, I’ve made the opposite moves by taking backwards steps. It’s hard to overcome that, and it could have been easily avoidable. Don’t make the same mistake!

RT @cassiegermsheid: "Looking back – are you where you wanted to be?"